He was dressed all in black, and wore a duty belt that held pepper spray, a baton, a handgun, and handcuffs. A silver star badge was clipped to the left front side of the belt.

The man identified himself as an Oregon State Police trooper.

The manager of Xtreme Security told authorities he had hired the trooper to serve as one of four security guards for a special event held at the Gresham restaurant Black Cat Cantina in late December, according to court records.

But an investigation by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission and Gresham police found the man who identified himself as a police trooper was never sworn in as a state cop, nor did he have any certification as a private security officer.

Elroy Jetson MillerMCSO

Gresham police have arrested Elroy Jetson Miller, 39, and accused him of criminal impersonation of a police officer.

He was arrested Friday night in the parking lot of Black Cat Cantina, and was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court Monday afternoon.

Gresham Sgt. Lee Graham found out that Miller actually had been hired as a corrections officer by the Oregon Department of Corrections in September 2007, only to be fired while on probation less than a year later, in late July 2008, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court on Monday.

On Miller's Facebook page, police found an image of two pistols and handcuffs beside a Marine Corps logo, with the words "Oregon State Trooper'' written above, the affidavit said.

When confronted in late December at the restaurant by an OLCC inspector who asked for his private security certification, Miller replied that he was exempt because he was a police officer, the affidavit said.

Miller was released from custody and given a date next week to return to court.